Category: Washington Park

Building off the success of last year’s Community Energy Fair, the Office of Sustainability is once again partnering with the Rhode Island Sierra Club, People’s Power & Light, and others to host this year’s SustainPVD Fair.

Events will include the Compost Workshop, Rain Barrel Workshop, information on how to reduce waste and make your home more energy efficient, and how to go solar. There will also be a special workshop hosted by the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee to learn about Energy Democracy and the City’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. This community event will be family friendly and include free food and music.

We are looking for vendors to complete the event with interactive exhibits. Attendees will be guided through the event with volunteers and a worksheet to help them take in all the information and encourage them to engage with vendors. Apply via this form by April 30th. Space is limited and preference will be given to those who demonstrate creative and active displays, as well as those who can provide information in Spanish. The goal of the event is for participants to walk away with resources and information to help them take action in their home, at work, and throughout their community to help make Providence greener and healthier.

Every ten years, the Federal Government makes a complete count of everyone in the United States. The U.S. Census aims to count the entire population at the location where each person usually lives. The next census is due in 2020.

Providence County Leads the Way!

Providence County is the national test site for the 2020 census. Starting this month, Providence Community Library will assist the U.S. Census Bureau and the City of Providence to test operations and procedures for gathering information during the 2020 census. The goal of the test is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. Providence County will help fine tune the model that will be rolled out nationwide in 2020. All people in Providence County, including college students, who are resident on Census Test Day, April 1, will be included in the Census Complete Count Test.

How to Complete the Test

The Census Complete Count Test questionnaire is available online and you can fill it out on any computer device or smartphone. The questionnaire, which can also be answered by phone or returned by mail, includes ten basic questions about you and your household and takes less than ten minutes to complete.

Completed Returns are Confidential

Returns are protected by law (Title I3 of the U.S. code, Section 9) and are strictly confidential. It is illegal for the U.S.Census Bureau, or its employees, to share personal information with any other government agency, including law enforcement, IRS, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), FBI, Immigration, etc. Census returns are sealed and not available as public documents for 72 years.

Why is it important to get an accurate count in the Census?

Federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors. Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. When you respond to the census, you help your community gets its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.

Why the Census Matters to our Libraries

Over the last five years, Providence Community Library has received a substantial amount of funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development through the City of Providence to support our Spanish GED program and pay for repairs and improvements to our buildings. The availability of that funding depends in part on the accuracy of the US Census. The Census is important to Providence and to PCL!

Help Providence Help You by Completing the Census Test!

When you do the math, it’s easy to see how an accurate count of residents can help the community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone. Let’s make the 2018 Complete Census Count Test count for all of us in Providence County. Encourage everyone you know to go online and answer the few questions so the whole country will see the strength and commitment we have to create a better community!

Providence County households have a unique opportunity to help our community and nation get an accurate population count in the 2020 Census. We are the only test site in the U.S. in 2018, and it is exciting to know that we are helping to create the model that the whole country will follow in 2020. Let’s set the bar high for the most complete count possible! The goal is to count every person living in Providence County.

Census Day for the test is April 1, 2018 and Providence County households are able to respond online beginning on March 16. Letters were mailed to households with information about the test and how to respond. For the first time, you will be able to respond to the census online using desktop computers, laptops, smartphones or tablets. You can also respond by phone or on paper.

Your census responses are safe, secure and protected by law. Every Census Bureau employee swears a lifetime oath to protect your information, and could go to jail or be fined up to $250,000 if they violate that oath. It is illegal for the Census Bureau, or its employees, to share your personal information with any other government agency, local law enforcement, IRS, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), FBI, Immigration, etc. Not even the President of the United States can access your individual responses. Individual records from the Census are sealed for 72 years.

Everyone Counts!
– Children count! Remember to include young children on your census form.
– College students count! College students living in Providence County on April 1 should be counted.
– Citizens and noncitizens alike count! The Constitution requires the census to count every resident in the nation— whether they are citizens or not.
Responding is easy, safe and important. The census test asks just a few questions and takes about 10 minutes to respond.

Why is it important to get an accurate count in the Census? Census data are used in many ways, affecting our daily lives. Some examples include:
– Distribution of more than $675 billion annually in federal funds back to state, local, and tribal governments.
– Redistricting of state legislative districts.
– Forecasting of future transportation needs for all segments of the population.
– Determining areas eligible for housing assistance and rehabilitation loans.
– Assisting federal, tribal, state, and local governments in planning and implementing programs and services and emergency response.
– Designing facilities for people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.

Over the last five years Providence Community Library has received a substantial amount of CDBG funding to support our Spanish GED program and to do major repairs on our libraries. That funding comes from the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and what is allocated to Providence in total for CDBG funds is partially dependent on census data. Having the opportunity to impact that funding through encouraging everyone to be counted is exciting to us because we can serve more people!

It is easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone. Let’s make the 2018 Census Test count for all of us in Providence County, and show our commitment to creating a better community. Encourage everyone you know to respond!

Questions about the Census:

Once you fill out the Census, do you get a confirmation page?

Yes, there is a confirmation page you can print or save as a PDF from the Internet Self Response.

How does the non-response follow up period work on college campuses? How do you reach students who don’t fill out the form?

College dorms are part of the Group Quarters Enumeration (GQE) operation. We will call all GQs during our GQ Advance Contact operation from June 18 to July 10, 2018. GQ enumeration is planned for July 30 – Aug 24, 2018. The facilities will be able to respond without involving the students, via electronic response data transfer or paper response data collection. We will encourage colleges to assist us in counting the students using data from their records (and preferably electronically) since the data collection is taking place significantly later than reference day.

For off-campus housing in 2018, we will follow the regular non-response follow-up (NRFU) procedures. We understand that students may have left the area by the time NRFU operations begin, but we will do the best we can. (In 2020, we will do Early NRFU in the blocks identified as having off-campus housing, which will start in early April.)

How does the homeless population fill out the Census if they do not receive a home ID number?

We count people experiencing homelessness in our Targeted NonSheltered Outdoor Locations (TNSOL) operation. For 2018, enumerators will visit known outdoor locations in an overnight operation in late July to collect census information from any individuals currently staying there.

Shelters for people experiencing homelessness will be part of the GQE operation. We will call all facilities during our GQ Advance Contact operation from June 18 to July 10, 2018. We will ask questions to determine the best time to conduct the enumeration, how many enumerators and materials we need to send, and to ascertain facility rules, logistics and safety concerns.

Which languages will the Census form/Census marketing materials be available in? Both for the test and the 2020 Census? Can the Census still be filled out in languages not included (e.g. Portuguese)?

The Enumeration instrument is available in Spanish. There are currently no plans for promotional materials.

Will “Jane or John Doe” be permitted on census forms for households concerned about privacy?

Yes, we instruct the enumerators that they can enter nicknames or Person 1, Person 2 etc. if the respondent does not want to provide their real name.

Latinos in Heritage Conservation, Rhode Island Latino Arts, and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission are proud to present Encuentro 2018. Spanning three days of programs in Providence and the Blackstone Valley, this groundbreaking event brings together the 3rd National Convening of Latinos in Heritage Conservation and the 33rd Annual Statewide Rhode Island Historic Preservation Conference.

For the first time, Latinos in Heritage Conservation is bringing a national conversation about Latino historic preservation to New England. Featuring guest speakers from across the country and opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with fellow practitioners and advocates for Latino historic preservation, this is a not to be missed opportunity. Rhode Island Latino Arts, RIHPHC, and local partners have planned an engaging program of tours and special events to round out the schedule.

We hope that you will join us for this landmark gathering that will bring together preservationists, scholars, students, design professionals, and community advocates for an unprecedented discussion of the value and future of heritage conservation in New England’s Latino communities and beyond.

Seeds are now available to neighborhood gardeners! The South Providence Library has launched the 2018 Seed Exchange program. Anyone can come to the library to receive free seeds for a summer garden.

A few seeds were contributed by local growers last season, but a large number of seeds have been made available through a free seed program at the University of Rhode Island. This program is made possible annually through the generous donation of seeds by Ocean State Job Lot, and through the efforts of the URI Master Gardener Program volunteers.

Benefits for the Home Gardener include:

Instant access to fresh produce

Control over the chemicals and products used during the growing process

In response to requests from the community, Providence Community Library is pleased to announce a program to provide help to those who are seeking Citizenship in the United States. The library is pleased to be able to offer an experienced instructor for this program opportunity. Please share information with any neighbors or friends who may be interested.

CITIZENSHIP CLASS

March 5 to June 25, 2018

Mondays • 5:30 –7:30pm

Knight Memorial Library

275 Elmwood Avenue, Providence

LEARN:

The requirements to naturalization

The N-400 application for Naturalization

The 100 Civic/History questions required

To pass the U.S. Citizenship Exam

The written and oral parts of the test

If you qualify to have the USCIS fees waived

Practice for official citizenship interview

REQUIREMENT: Must be eligible to apply for U.S. Naturalization

Instructor Bruno Sukys has more than 40 years of experience in Immigration, as former
Citizenship & Immigration Services Program Director at Dorcas International Institute of RI Inc

Providence Community Library (PCL) provides the people of Providence with a wealth of knowledge and free learning resources. Our mission is to fight low literacy and lack of opportunity, raise reading scores and help more than 178,000 library users achieve their dreams.

Your mission is to ascend to the roof, step over the edge and rappel down the 12-story, 150 feet high Regency Plaza building in Providence. The first 90 individuals to raise a minimum of $1,000 will earn a spot to go Over the Edge for PCL. The valuable funds you raise will take PCL’s services to a new level and will pay for books, computers, exciting makerspace technology, innovative programming, and a whole lot more!

Following a recent federal district court decision, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is now accepting DACA renewal applications again.

Anyone who currently holds or has previously held DACA status (even if that status is now expired), is eligible to apply for renewal. USCIS is still not accepting initial requests for DACA status from people who have never had it.

Those who are eligible to renew their DACA status should do so immediately. Because USCIS is accepting renewal applications under a court order, it is unclear how long this window of opportunity will remain open.

Beginning today, Dorcas International Institute of RI is now holding daily walk-in DACA clinics to respond to the community need. We will assess an individual’s eligibility to renew his/her DACA status, and, if eligible, complete the paperwork. Applicants should bring their work permit and passport to walk-in hours. No appointment is necessary.Walk-In Hours:
– Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, 9-4:30 pm;
– Wed & Sat 9:00-12:00;
– hours available by appointment: please call 401-784-8621

All fees ($495 USCIS filing fee and $100 DIIRI service fee) will be covered by funds previously donated in September 2017. DACA renewal applicants pay nothing.

Providence Community Library in partnership with Project Crisol announces the second Annual Bilingual Storytelling Workshop Series for aspiring young writers aged 6-12. Participants
will be coached in crafting and telling their stories in compelling ways, and in listening to each
other’s stories respectfully. Participants will be invited to submit their stories to the Annual
Bilingual Youth Writing Contest and to join the Day of the Children Celebration in April 28.

Census Jobs are Available

The U.S. Census has begun recruiting for temporary full- and part-time positions in support of the 2018 End-to-End Census Test. The 2018 End-to-End Census Testsupports the 2020 Census.

The goal of the 2020 Census is to obtain an accurate population count of residents. The 2018 Census End-to-End Test will provide insights to better conduct the 2020 Census and is our planning tool to ensure an accurate census.

The Address Canvassing portion, of the 2018 End-to-End Census Test, is taking place in three sites: Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, W.Va.; Providence County, R.I.; and Pierce County, Wash.

The 9th annual Providence Children’s Film Festival takes place February 16-25, 2018 with screenings, filmmaking workshops, and free activities, along with post-film conversations that help deepen the film-watching experience. Audiences of all ages will enjoy over 100 feature-length and short films—including live-action, documentary, and animation—made by filmmakers from around the world. PCFF’s mission is to present the best of independent and international children’s cinema to inspire, delight, educate, and connect a diverse community of children and families from Rhode Island and beyond. Events take place at main venues within walking distance of downtown Providence and at satellite venues across the state.

Bring your characters and their stories to life through animation! This short workshop gives kids an opportunity to create and learn about animation using storyboards to plan it and stop motion techniques to film it!